Lubricating system



Abril 27, 19521 w. P. sHM'rr'n-R 2,676,671

' LUBRICATING SYSTEM Filed Jun 22, 1949 l 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 l ai I I--." ez 6/ A121412?, 1954 w. P. scHMn-TER LUBRICATING SYSTEM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 22, 1949 tomeg w44 TEE April 27, 1954 w, P. scHMrrER 2,676,671

LUBRICATING SYSTEM Filed June 22, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 WALTER P. .Samir-rek.

l'mventor otneg Patented Apr. 2'17, 1954 LUBRICATING SYSTEM Walter P. Schmitter, Milwaukee, Wis., assgnor to The Falk Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application June 22, 1949, Serial No. 100,615

This invention relates to improvements in lubricating systems and particularly to lubricating systems for gear sets in which the gears themselves, or one of them, causes movement of the lubricant within the gear housing.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a lubricating system in which lubricant is supplied to bearings under different pressures dependent on the speed of rotation of the machine parts supported by the bearings.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lubricating system for gear sets in which one of the gears lifts lubricant from a pool in the housing and causes movement of the lubricant' through different paths within the housing dependent on the speed of rotation of the gear.

A further object of the invention is'to provide a gear set adapted for high-speed operation and formed with a plurality of channels to which lubricant is delivered in quantities dependent on the speed of operation of the gears and from which channels the lubricant is delivered to the several gear shaft bearings under a control dependent on the pressure of the lubricant in such channels.

Objects and advantages other than those above set forth will'be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view, somewhat diagrammatic, of a gear set embodying the present invention, the section being taken on the vertical'plane through the line I-I of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1 but taken on the vertical plane through line Ii-II ofFig. 3. i

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-section of a gear set embodying the present invention and is taken on a horizontal plane at the joint between the lower andi-upper portions of the gear set housing.

Fig'. 4 s a transverse cross-sectional View on the vertical plane through the lineY IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view on the vertical i plane through the line V'-V of Fig. 3 to illus"- trate one means for controlling the flow of lubricant through one category of the channels in K the housing.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view looking into the lower half of one of the gear set bearings.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view on the horizontal plane through line Vil-'VII of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 5, of a second,f

form of lubricant now control means. s

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig.l5, of a third form of lubricant flow control means.v

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the control means shown assembled in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 5, of a fourth form of lubricant flow control means; and

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the flow control means shown in section in Fig. 11.

Generally, the present invention provides a gear set comprising a housing for retaining a pool of lubricant and having a plurality of passages formed therein and severally connecting with bearings supported by the housing. A plurality of co-acting gears are mounted in the bearings, one of the gears lifting lubricant from the lubricant pool and throwing some of the lubricant on the housing end walls. Some of the housing passages are connected with troughs mounted on the housing end Walls for receiving lubricant thrown on such walls, and form first flow paths for the lubricant to the bearings. Lubricant is also lifted from the lubricant pool by adhesion to the sides of the gear and is wiped therefrom by pads touching on the sides of the gear. The lubricant scraped from the sides of the gear by the Wiper pads is discharged into V-shaped troughs extending along the sides of the several gears` and co-acting with passages in the housing to provide second paths for the supply of lubricant to the bearings.

The first lubricant flow paths are controlled byv a valve which is opened zand closed responsive to the diierence in pressure of the lubricant in the several flow paths. Such valve may be either of the flap valve type, the piston type or the ball type, the character of the valve used being determined by the space available for the placement of the valve and the cost involved in placing such valve.

The housing also has troughs mounted along the sides of theg'ears with one of the troughs adjacent one of thev ends of each of the bearings, for receiving the lubricant discharged from the bearings and for delivering such lubricant to one or the other of several housing walls cooled by the circulation of a coolant adjacent such walls.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals in which like numerals refer to like parts, I5 generally designates the base 'or lower portion of a housing comprising an outer wall l5 and an inner wall Il joinedby flanges i8, to provide a space for the circulation of a cooling medium therethrough, such coolant being supplied to the space through inlet I9 and discharged therefrom through outlet 2t. vAn upper housing portion :generally designated23 is hanged as at 24 to fit on the lower housing flange and the upper housdriven gear ttl mounted on shaft 4l supported in f bearing shells 33. A partial partition .42. Aof, arcuate form, is xed in the lower housingl in4 spaced relation to the inner .wall-J1I and to; thefgear ri, and has apertures 43 througlfi*which'ilu-,vI bricant is drawn from a pool in the lower housing. The oil pan apertures il control. the amount of oil into which the gear 46 dips thugredu'cing'agiL tation and splashing which minimizes temper`V ature rise in the oil and reduces oxidation thereof. The gear Ail-throws some of .thelubricant lifted thereby, against the interior surfaccofthempper,

housing 2 3.

The' bearingfsuppor'ts 23,28 are forzr'iedwith conduits asshown' at M (see Fig. andthelbear ing shells 32', 33 are apertured asshoWni-at 145. andare internally groovedr as shown at .46., Conduits 44 are joined by a passage'! with a passage @i8 formed Vby oo -acting channels lin the housing anges lil `and 2G andthe housing Wallson Which such flanges are hired'. Lubricantthrown on the. wall of the upper housing drains down along the wall surface and iscollected Vinone lof thev several. troughs lxedonljthe end walls of the. lower housing I 5 adjacentthe ange Ithereof. The,.-

lubricant collectingV troughsv 49 discharge into the iiange channels 48 and the lubricant flo-'wstherefrom, into the passages 4'?, frornfwhich it dis. charges into the bearing support conduits M, such compositerpassages" beingherein designated as first flow paths.. The ow through suchrst'iiow path Vis controlled byvalve means ,shown `in Fig. 5 as a ,flap valve 52,1nounted 'ona pivot ,53m-sting..

in notches, lij'in ythe bearing.v supports'.,- It` will be understood Athat ,each of the,,bearingsupports is provided with a lubricant first ow path similar of to that above describedjandthat the flow oi lu..-A

bricant through eachv such path is controlled byV similar means, ,the operation of such means being?" described hereinafter.

By reference *to` Figs., 3 and 4,. it ,willf-befseen that' the housingV halve'sl and 23ffitirelatively .Y closely about gears SjandML the gear M being' the only gear dipping into the,.lub'rignint]-pojoll and lifting the lubricanti therefrom.Y Such lift-1 ing of lubricant occurs on ,they teeth, `of"` the gear s lic which throw the lubricant against the housing end walls, and` also occurs on the side E surfaces" of suchgear, due, toadhesion offfthelubricantcn suchV surface. v Msansare provided for Y wipingth lubricant 'fromV thefside surfaces of fthdgafhllv and for deliveringsuch lubricant to'jsecondow paths iorsupply to'the bearings. The v'wiping l means (see especially Figs.4 2, 4 and 7) comprises channel-likereceptacles l!) mounted in vertical position on `ther` side walls" of the v `housing -half f2 at locationsl displaced. 'in the direction of rotation from'the Vertical axisthrough'thefgear 46;? U`- shaped wiper 1holders generally; designated Si severally receive relatively softrrnetallic lubricant wiping-pads l=2 against vwhichthe sides5ofthe1gear- Loa u at may Irun'and the .wiping padshave groovesfS-i for collecting`f andA directing flow of. loil from'y the.M

pads.

Theglower' ends of thewiper holdersgl If,ar1,dtlne` wipers, E2 are pointed [to'deliver the lubricant-75 scraped off sides of the gear 40, between baiilc plates 5B for guiding the lubricant dropping from the wipers onto second flow paths for receiving such lubricant. Such second flow paths severally comprise V-shaped troughs 61 and 6a having the adjacent ends joined immediately below the bale plateswvto provide a flow-dividing yhigh lpoint, and having the channel low points severally connected with passages 59 in the bearing supports,

` thefpassages 69 being connected with the houstures 45 and -the-grooveslll discharges-.fromthe endlof-i',he bearings intospouts 14, .Csee-Fgs 2 and-4): adjacent-the-sideso the gears 39 andv lill.v Oil- Jis `.discharged fromsuch spouts. onto.l surfaces Y of the-inner, wall l1 of.. .the` .housingportion' I 5 where theoil is cooled asit flows. down such walls into=the^lub1-icant.pool:in the lowerfhousing... It will be noted that-the spout 14. extendsl su-iiiciently beyond the mesh-ing pointfOthe-gears'to receive the-,oil forced-froml between A.the .gear-teeth by lsuchmeshing.;`

When Vtheagears arerotated athighspeeds, it is desirable that .the flow-of lubricantto thebearingsbe -unden .higher-f-p1essure. thanair the lower speedfof the gears.Atalllspeeds'the sidesofthe.Y gears carry .oil-.which isscrapedgolby-:the Wipers 52 butA athigh 7speedsfa sumcientlquantity. ofoil is so `carried tocompletely-fillgthe second owpaths and tobuild .up considerable hydraulic head therein, suchilolw -pathsacomprising the. V- troughs 61, 63, the bearing support passages-JES- and. theloearing. .grooves 44. Assoon as-thehpres sure 1in. thesecond Vilow ypathsAf is K5.higher A than in the `liirstgowfr paths-such l higherpressure closes the flow control valvesg521an-d allgoffthelubricant to tha-bearings yisf.-thereaftergsuppliedfrom the4 secondqflow Apaths,so-long asthe-gears` are-at a suciently highd speed vto :Y maintain the- .higher pressure in.A such paths.,VVV The pressure ofi-lubri-4 cant supplied to the bearings is, therefore, directlyl dependenton-the speed @operation Iof the gears.

During-'fthehighV .speed ...gearn operation, the first,cw'--paths..are ffi1led1-fwith oil v(until the trough'sf overflow)A thus .,providing: a .maximum headinfs It will be understood that the second flow paths containsome-lubricant evenfwhen-fthe .fvalves re-` open and.that such lubricantfis..replenished to some degree even duringfthe slowspeed operation of thesgearsc Hence, -both -1lcwv.pathsgfurnsh lubricant to the bearings during the period Vwhen the pressures thereinare, substantially equal; By suitable proportioningof the: -severalgow paths, it isupossible top redetermime,zwithinclose limits, the speed at which thefow ;control..valves will closcfand ;1&0p?n1;;

Instead of usi a iiapqtypetvalveiopgtherlow Control-fas hereto rc :describedc cupped. piston; type valve mayb-usediwith anc.` :massage 'Il formed in the bearing supports as shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10. In Fig.- 10 the valve comprises the cup 18 with a stem 19 and the valve is guided in its movement by the various parts of the passage enclosing such valve. The pressure in the bearing support groove 44 constantly actsv through the passage 11 and inside the cup 18 so that'an increase of pressure in the second flow paths will finally lift the valve and close oi the passage 41. It will be noted that closure of passage 41 proceeds proportionally as the pressure in the second ilow paths increases so that both flow paths are in use for the maximum length of time.

The structure shown in Figs. 9 and l0 is similar to that of Fig. 8 excepting that the stem of the valve is now provided with a flange 82 for guiding valve movement, the nange being aper- 18 is also apertured at 4 to permit 'venting anyv gases which might collect in the cup and thus vary the responsiveness of the cup to the pressures acting thereon.

In the structure shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the passage 41 is omitted and the lower housing ange is apertured at 81 to provide a spherical seat. An aperture through the bearing support then receives a plug 88 with the end thereof formed as a cage 89 to receive a ball 90. vThe plug is apertured at 9| for the free passage of oil about the ball cage and the ball cage itself is apertured at 92 for the free passage of oil about the ball valve. The present construction has the advantage of minimum cost in providing for the ow control with a high degree of valve sensitivity.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides a simple and inexpensive means for lubricating bearings at different rates dependent on the speed of operation of the'device and hence on the need for such lubrication. In the present use of the invention, the structure is particularly simple and provides adequate lubrication for gear operation for both low and high speeds dependent on the speed of rotation of the pumping gear. In devices other than gear sets, whether the lubricant is moved by an element of the device or by a pump, it is possible to so proportion the passages an-d the control valves as to obtain precisely the lubricant pressure best suited for given operating speeds.

Although but four embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appende claims.

I claim:

l. In a lubricant system for a gear set,a housing retaining a pool of lubricant and having a? with some cf the housing passages in forming second paths for lubricant flow to the bearings, the two flow paths being at dilerent heights rela-V tive to the bearings for collecting and supplying lubricant to the bearings at different pressures, and means in the rst now paths for controlling lubricant-now therethrough responsive to difference in pressure of the lubricant in the first and second flow paths.

2. In a lubricating system for a gear set, a housing retaining a pool of lubricant, bearings supported by the housing, a gear mounted in the bearings and lifting lubricant from the pool, the gear throwing some of the lubricant on a housing end wall, the housing having passages forming portions of separate rst and second paths for lubricant flow to the bearings, means for wiping some of the lubricant from the gear, means within the housing for receiving lubricant from the wiping means and coacting with some of the housing passages for forming second paths for lubricant flow to the bearings, Vthe two ow paths being at dilerent heights relative to the bearings for collecting and supplying lubricant to the bearings at different pressures, and pressure responsive valves mounted in the rst flow paths for closing such paths upon rise in pressure in the second flow paths above that of the first ow paths.

3. In a lubricating system for a gear set, a housing retaining a pool of lubricant and having a plurality of passages therein, bearings supported by the housing, a gear mounted in the bearings to lift lubricant from the pool and to throw some of the lubricant on an end wall of the housing, means mounted on the housing end wall for receiving the lubricant thrown thereon and coacting with some of the housing passages in forming nrst lubricant flow paths leading to the bearings, pads on the housing side walls and extending vertically thereof for contact with portions of the sides of the gear, troughs mounted on the housing side walls and coacting with others of the housing passages in forming second lubricant flow paths to the bearings, the second flow paths being independent of the rst flow paths, the two flow paths being at diierent heights relative to the bearings for collecting and supplying lubricant to the bearings at different pressures, and valves severally mounted in and closing the first flow paths upon the occurrence of higher pressures in the second ow paths than in the nrst ow paths.

4. In a lubricating system for a gear set, a housing retaining liquid lubricant and having a plurality of passages therein, bearings supported by the housing, the housing having passages about each bearing for conducting a supply of lubricant to the bearings, a gear mounted in the bearings to lift lubricant and to throw some of the lubricant on an end wall of the housing,

means mounted on the housing end wall for receiving lubricant thrown thereon and coacting with some of the rst said housing passages and with the second said housing passages for forming first flow paths for lubricant supply to the bearings, means severally mounted on the housing side walls for contact with portions of the sides of the gear, troughs mounted on the housing side wall above the means receiving lubricant thrown from the gear and coacting with others of the housing passages in forming second flow paths for lubricant supply tothe bearings, the now paths being severally joined to the lubricant supply passages about the bearings with the juncture therewith of the second now paths located above the juncture therewith of the first now paths, and valves severally mounted at the junctures of the rst ow paths with the lubricant supply passages aboutthe bearings for chasing the rstnowt paths upon Ythe occurrence of higher vpressure `of ithe.1ubrcant fin -theY--second flow. paths thanrthe Alubricani', in the .first -ow paths. f

4(References Cited in therlef ,thispatent UNITED. STATES :PATENTS Number Name Date 706,120 Short Aug; 5, '1902 136395680 Acker Aug; '23',v v`1927 Number v Number w 1575321 8 i-,Name .Date -,-Henderson -A Aug. .28, 1934 Acker Sept, V11,1934 Acker .Mar. 26, T1935 vNuble Dec. v18, 1945 M11er. l Jan. 2, 1951 :.Mor Apr. 10,1951

"-*FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date ".'Great Britain Mar. 1,1946 

